Blue Eyed Man Divergent Fanfiction
by BlueInfinity77
Summary: Tyler is a curious Dauntless born who is known for trouble, but what kind of trouble will her curiosity get her into when she decides to follow the mysterious blue eyed man? Take place after the Divergent film/book. The attack on Abnegation hasn't happened yet. Divergent is written by Veronica Roth. I do not own Divergent. *No profanity *No explicit content.
1. Chapter 1

One

2 and a half weeks… that's how long it took. In 2 and a half weeks my world has been turned upside down. Everything has changed. My past, my present, was any of it true? Who was I now?


	2. Chapter 2

Two

11 years before…

Trouble. It's what I'm good at. I always seem to be getting myself into trouble. I don't always go looking for it, but I just can't help myself. My curiosity gets the best of me. My parents swear it'll get me killed one day. In a faction like mine, they're probably right. Dauntless isn't exactly the place for an abundance of questions. Too many questions, or the wrong questions, can get you killed. Even at 5 years old, I understood that.

My father always uses the phrase "curiosity killed the cat" when he's lecturing me. Luckily, he doesn't do it in a mean way. I wouldn't describe it as nice, but I mean he's not screaming. It's more of an explanation I guess.

My father, the man with four fears, is a legend around Dauntless. My mother is no different. An Abnegation transfer who was the first jumper. People definitely know their names, Tris and Four.

People know my name too, Tyler Bliss Eaton, the girl who always manages to get into trouble. Yes, a girl named Tyler. Quit Judging.

My dad was giving me another lecturing about not falling to my curiosity and knowing when to keep my nose out of stuff. What I had done seemed harmless, but I guess maybe I was wrong. I had gotten in trouble before, but this time it seemed different. My dad seemed… on edge. I couldn't understand it. Very few things seemed to worry my dad. All I had done was talk to the guy…


	3. Chapter 3

Three

The man with blue eyes intrigued me. He also confused me. He seemed cruel and vile, but that wasn't it. Something seemed different. It seemed like there was more. I don't know what it is, but I know that, today, I'm going to find out.

I have come to the Pit with mom. One of my mom's friends, Christina, has been begging her for weeks to go shopping. In truth, shopping isn't mom's thing. She does enjoy her friends though, and this is Christina's day off.

After years of pleading with him, Max finally talked dad into accepting a leadership position. His job takes up a lot of his time, but he still manages to have time with his family: my mom, my two brothers, my sister and myself. I'm the youngest in the family. My two brothers, the twins, being three years older than me and my sister being two years older than me. Since I'm the youngest, I can't exactly just go stay at a friend's house when no one's at home like my siblings. That means that if dad is stuck somewhere and mom has to go, I'm stuck going with mom. Dad is in Erudite in a meeting with Max. Normally, if there's a leaders' conference, Max wants dad with him. At least this time mom isn't gone. She helps with faction relations. She's like a representative of Dauntless. This job was created right after her initiation so that every time factions had to meet, leaders weren't required to leave the faction. There are still leaders' meetings, though, for the stuff the reps can't handle themselves. Therefore, I can't stay in dad's office today with him, so I sadly end up going shopping with mom and Chris. I detest shopping, but here I am.

Mom meets Christina at one of the shops, and Christina immediately begins to show her different clothes. Mom is normally pretty aware of her surroundings, but when it comes to me, I've learned that I can slip away pretty easily. Chris and her clothes take her attention off me and give me my chance. I slowly slip away without either of them noticing. I decide I'm going exploring. Well, not exploring. Hunting is a better word. I'm hunting for the peculiar man. I want to know… to know what is different about him.

This isn't the first time I've gone to find him. I've followed him before. Stealth has always been one of my strengths. When I walk, I make sure my feet barely just kiss the ground. I always make sure I can find a place to disappear.

I turn the corner to the place I normally find him, but today, he isn't there. I am slightly disappointed but not completely discouraged. I keep going down the hallway. I'm determined to find him. Mess hall should be empty, but I decide it's worth a try to check there.

I get lost in my thoughts as I am walking. I know, a five year old getting lost in thought, sounds unusual right? Well, mom says I'm a little smarter than most of my age group. She doesn't exactly want people to know. Why? I'm not sure. Regardless, as I'm walking I'm not exactly paying attention to where I'm going. I run into something big, and suddenly, a pair of huge arms wraps around me and lifts me. My eyes go wide as they are met with a pair of stone cold blue eyes….


	4. Chapter 4

Four

In that moment, I decide that I might have made a mistake. Eric Coulter stares back at me with fury in his eyes. I've never been afraid of him like everyone else, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little scared right now.

"Where exactly did you think you were headed?" Eric says in a rather stern voice.

"Ummm…" Oh no. I need to think of something fast, but nothing is coming to me.

"I asked you a question." He states.

"I… I'm not sure."

"I think I know. You've followed me for the past two months."

 _What? He saw me?_

"Yes. I saw you. Did you really think I didn't?" He almost laughs as if he can read me thoughts.

I look around nervously… anywhere but into his steel eyes. I'm scared of their harsh exterior, but I'm also more scared of what's behind them. He still hasn't released me so running isn't an option. Well, I guess it never was.

"So I guess the question is," he starts, "Why have you been following me?"

His voice is still stern, but not as much. It's also a curious tone, but that's not it. It's filled with something else… certainty. It's almost as if he knows why. But how would he possibly know why I was following him? Better yet, how am I gonna explain why?

"I'm not entirely sure," I say with my voice almost trembling.

He stares at me for a second before he speaks.

"Somehow, I doubt you have a death wish, so answer my question. Why?"

"I… I…" I attempt to speak with my eyes darting everywhere.

"Look at me when you are addressing me." His voice has regained its stern manner. He is becoming impatient.

I look straight into his eyes and try to speak.

"I'm curious," is all I can get out of my mouth.

"Curious?" Now he is laughing. For what reason, I don't know. "So you think that following a leader, me especially, and risk getting caught it worth trying to appease your curiosity?"

"Yes," I say with the most confident voice I can come up with.

He looks slightly surprised.

"Ok then," he simply says. "Well hate the break it to you, but you got caught. Now, who are you so that I can take you back to your parents?" This he says with a little bit of an annoyed tone.

"Tyler Eaton."


	5. Chapter 5

Five

Eric's POV

 _Tyler Eaton. I've watched this kid since before she could talk. She has always shown potential. If I were to say that was the only reason I kept an eye on her, it would be a lie. But no one can know. No one._

"Oh lovely," I say slightly aggravated. "I get to return you to Tris and Four."

She just nods her head. I release her from my grasp and begin to walk towards where I know Tris is. She just follows beside me. Her head is down in what I guess is shame. I stop, take my hand under her chin and lift it. She looks at me, confused.

"You are a Dauntless. Hold your head high." This is all I say before I continue walking. I despise most everyone. I really do. But this kid, there's something about her.

We reach Tris and Christina, who both seem to be really worried. When she sees us, I can't tell if her worry increases or if she's relieved.

"Tyler!" She says with her hands covering her mouth. "Where did you go?!"

Tyler doesn't seem to know what to say, so I speak for her.

"I caught this one following me."

"You were following Er-... Mr. Coulter?" She looks at her with a look I've never seen. It's pure terror, fury and confusion. If I weren't scared for the poor kid, I would be laughing at her referring to me as Mr. Coulter.

"Your father will want to hear about this," Tris states firmly.

 _Oh great, they're dragging Four into this. Poor kid is done for._

"Thank you, Eric."

It takes me a second to register that Tris is talking to me, and in a pleasant tone at that. She begins to walk away. I don't know what comes over me, but I lightly gripped her arm to stop her.

"Go easy on the kid. I don't think she meant any harm," I whisper in Tris's ear.

She looks confused at my request, but I can tell she will attempt to go through with it.

They've walked away now, and I'm walking back to my office.

 _Go easy on the kid? What's gotten into me? I know why I said it, but really? Has this kid gotten to me?_

I know the answer to my question, and I know why, but I'm too scared to admit it.


	6. Chapter 6

Six

Tyler's POV

 _Great. I'm so dead._

Dad is due to get back from his meeting any minute now. Mom is pacing. She's been like this since Eric brought me back. I didn't truly see the harm in what I'd done. I'd went to go talk to a guy. Yeah he was a leader, but what was the big deal? I'd done stuff like this before, but I'd never seen mom like this.

Dad walks in the door. I feel like my executioner has entered the room. Dad is what you'd exactly call strict, but he's not easy going either. He looks at mom, who is still pacing, and then looks at me.

"Should I even ask?" he asks in a rather agitated tone.

 _Yep. This is it. I'm gonna die._

"Tyler… would you care to explain?" Mom asks me. She is looking at me as if she could strangle the life out of me now.

"Umm… uh… not really," I say, my voice trembling. Mom huffs and starts to explain the events of today. As she continues, dad seems to be getting more and more frustrated. When she's done, I know I'm gonna get it.

He lectures for about an hour. He obviously told me to never do it again. He explains that Mr. Coulter was a leader, and he didn't have time to deal with me. I could tell that he never really said what he was thinking. There was something else. What was it about this guy that put my family so on edge?


	7. Chapter 7

Seven

For the next two years, this cycle continued. I tried again and again to follow and talk to Eric, and again and again, I got caught and sent back to my parents. It was almost like a routine now. For a while it was like Eric was getting more and more annoyed. Now though, it was like he enjoyed it. He probably thought it was funny. He had started to call me "Death Wish" because he swore I had one. I snuck away to go see him every other day or so. If I didn't it, he almost seemed… disappointed… or even sad. It was like he expected it now. He still sent me back to my parents every time though.

Today, however, was different. I had already been caught. It didn't take very long. I had lost my balance and my shoe had squeaked. I knew I shouldn't have worn these.

"Morning, Miss Death Wish," Eric greeted me. "You just don't give up, do you?"

"I believe you can answer that question," I reply while suppressing a laugh. He rolls his eyes and shakes his head.

"You are a very stubborn and determined child."

"Yep," I reply with a large, mischievous smile on my face.

"I guess you know the routine by now, kid. Back to Four."

 _Oh yay. Back for a lecture._ _This'll be fun._

He let go of me and started to walk towards my family's apartment. He has a look in his eyes, and I'm not entirely sure what he's up to.

We walk into the apartment. Mom isn't home. She's representing Dauntless in Abnegation. She's also going to try to visit grandma and grandpa. It's easier now since the "faction before blood' rule isn't as strict. It's still in place, but its more lenient. I see my grandparents on visiting day. They're nice, but I can tell they don't exactly know what to think of me. Dad is currently trying to get my older brothers up.

"Come on guys. It's 9:30. I think you've slept long enough, and the leaders have a meeting at 10:15 that I am required to be at." His words stop as he turns to see Eric and I in the doorway. He doesn't look very happy to see us.

"I should've known better than to think you were still asleep," he says. He shakes his head. "I swear, Tyler Bliss, I don't know what I'm gonna do with you."

"Four." This is all Eric says as he motions for my father to follow him to another room. This leaves me in the living room. They've shut the door to my dad's office area, but the doors aren't as thick as the think. I slip over to the door and gently place my ear next to it. I can't exactly make out what they're saying, but dad doesn't seem happy. Whatever they were talking about, I can hear dad give into whatever Eric wanted. They started to walk towards the door, and I move quickly towards the couch and sit down.

They both just look at me for a second. Dad seems angry and a little scared at the same time. No one speaks for a few minutes and this silence is becoming unbearable.

"What is it?" I ask quietly.

Dad continues to just look at me for a couple of seconds before speaking.

"Ty…" he starts.

 _This isn't gonna end well._

"Most Dauntless kids start training for combat when they're about your age."

 _Umm duh. I've known this since I was like born. We start physical training like running like when we're born pretty much. They want us up and moving. Then we start combat when we're about 7. When we're teenagers we start learning tactics. Every Dauntless kid knows this. Where is he going with this?_

"Most children are trained by their parents or by someone capable."

 _Yep. Still know this. So why is he explaining what I already know?_

"Well, someone capable has offered to train you."

 _Wait, what? Who? What is going on?_

I give dad a confused look.

"Who?" I ask. Suddenly it hits me.

"Me," Eric says as his blue eyes look straight into mine.


	8. Chapter 8

Eight

Four's POV

Tyler looks excited and scared to death all at the same time. She doesn't say anything for a while. She just stares at Eric. She opens her mouth several times to speak but nothing comes out.

"Okay…" she says soundly a little unsure of herself. This isn't exactly what I wanted to hear. Part of me wanted her to protest. Part of me wanted her to say no. She never gives in this easily to something she doesn't want. So, therefore, she wants this.

"Are you sure?" I ask almost pleading. I don't really want Eric anywhere near her, much less training her. He's ruthless. I've seen it myself. In truth though, I guess I owe him this. At the same time, I guess I owe Tyler this.

"Yes," she says confidently. Eric smirks. He's loving this. He's as curious about her as she is about him.

 _He's seen potential and wants to take it for himself. He wants to take that potential from me._

I tell this to myself over and over, but I know it's not true. My pride won't allow me to say that she wants to train with him, and he's not forcing her to. But it's not just that. I can't force myself to accept that Eric might actually care about something… or someone. It seems impossible.

 _He's just curious. That's it._

Maybe that's true. Maybe it's not. But for now, it'll have to do.

"Alright," I force myself to say. I want to swipe the smirk off Eric's face.

"We'll start tomorrow then," Eric says.

"Okay," Tyler says a little more excitedly than I'd like. I can tell she wants to do this. I hate to admit it, but she does.

With this, Eric heads for the door. After he exits, I know I should probably punish Ty for following Eric again, but I can't force myself to do it. I simply go and sit on the couch next to her, put my arm around her and pull her to me. I try to force a smile but it's very weak. How do I explain this to Tris? How do I even explain it to myself?


	9. Chapter 9

Nine

Tyler is up bright and early the next morning. She runs out of her room and to the breakfast table breaking speed records. She bounces the whole time she eats.

Explaining this situation to Tris last night was… interesting. She nearly went ballistic. She didn't like the idea. But when I explained why I did it she understood. We both understood that we owed it to Eric. We also had to accept that that's what Ty wanted.

Tyler stares at the door for a long time until she thinks I have gotten her signal. She was ready to go to the training room. She wanted to see Eric. I finally give in and take her to the training room where Eric is waiting.

"Morning Death Wish," he greets her with a smile. "Four."

"Eric."

"Hi," Ty says waving slightly. I hate this. I never liked this idea from the moment Eric mentioned the idea. And yes, I know why. My pride doesn't want to let me admit that I'm a little jealous of Eric. Of this relationship they have. Of how comfortable she seems around him.

"Well I guess I'll leave you two to it then," is all I can say as I begin to walk away… leaving her with a man that I once considered a monster.

Tyler's POV

Eric starts me out fairly easy. We start by learning how to punch. He has me do them in the air until finally moving me to a punching bag. He has me wrap a piece of cloth around my knuckles before I start to hit the bag. We work on this for hours. He moves me several times and reminds me many times to keep tension in my core.

We stop at lunch to go to mess hall and eat. We get many strange looks walking in. I see several people whispering to each other as we pass. I don't care. People can think what they want to.

I get a little nervous when he leads me over to the table where the leaders' sit. I sit between him and my dad.

"So my bliss filled little friend," Max starts. That's what he always called me because my middle name is Bliss. "How has training been going?"

All eyes are on me now. I don't really like it. I turn my eyes to Eric as if asking for help. He puts his hand on my shoulder as if to tell me to go ahead, that it'll be fine.

"Good. I mean I can punch now so I guess that's good," I say rather quietly.

"Well that's a perfect start," Max says almost proudly. "We'll have to keep an eye on you. Maybe one day you could follow in your dad's footsteps and lead the Dauntless faction."

My dad bites his lip, but Eric is wearing the biggest smile I've ever seen. I would think my dad would be smiling. Wouldn't he be proud?

After lunch we head back to the training room. We're still improving my punch. I've never seen someone take so long to improve a punch, but by the end of the day, I have pretty much mastered how to punch. Eric says we'll be working on strengthening tomorrow so my punch, as well as other moves, has more impact. He says we won't be able to train all day most days because well, he's kinda got a job as a leader.

I take the cloth off my knuckles and notice I busted several of them.

 _Ouch._

Now I notice how much they hurt. Eric can see the pained expression on face and takes my hand and lays it in his. He studies it for a second. He puts some type of ointment on them and wraps each individual finger in a band aid. I am shocked at how gentle he is. Everyone has only spoken of how rough he is. Now, he is tenderly and gently holding my hand and wrapping up my fingers. I've never seen a trainer do something quite like this for their trainee. They typically give them what they need but I've never seen one apply it for their trainee.

This day has been incredibly strange. I didn't quite expect training to be like this. I think I almost expected it to be brutal considering it's Eric. Maybe everyone is wrong about him…


	10. Chapter 10

Ten

Eric's POV

I know I haven't done training by the book, but I want her to be the best. I also want to take it somewhat easy on her for now. If I hurt her, first of all Four will kill me, but I don't know if I could handle it. This kid has really gotten to me. I've got a soft spot for her.

Watching her today, I realized she's more rough and tumble than I originally thought. She's determined. She's also very stubborn. Gets it from her dad I guess.

I walk her to the mess hall for supper. I know I should be taking her back to Tris and Four, but I'm not ready to let her go yet. We get food, and she starts walking to where we ate lunch, but I tap her arm. She looks confused, but I nod my head toward the door. We aren't going to eat there. I'm taking her somewhere else. Her curiosity seems to overtake her nervousness and confusion when she follows me.

We end up at a place I've gone many times before. We are down at the rocks by the edge of the chasm. This is one of my favorite places in Dauntless. There aren't that many people down here at this time of the day because they are all eating in mess hall.

"Why are we down here?" Tyler asks.

"There aren't many people down here. I have a feeling you're not exactly a people person," I tell her.

"Who says?" she retorts.

"Sweetheart, your attitude towards people says it all. Plus, you're dad mentioned it. Why I'm the exception to the rule, I'm not sure."

"I told you, I'm curious. You are a mystery I guess. You're kinda like a puzzle. You're something to solve. Plus, you don't completely suck."

I try not to laugh.

 _Only if everyone else thought like you do, kid._

"Is that so?" I ask her.

"Yes," she says looking directly in my eyes. It's almost slightly intimidating. How a seven year old can be intimidating, I don't know, but she was in that moment. She has more confidence and courage than I may ever have. She's like the perfect Dauntless.

We eat dinner in silence. We just enjoy each other's company. It's almost weird. I normally hate people, but she's different. She is the exception to my rule like I'm the exception to hers.

When we're finished we continue to sit in silence. We listen to the sounds of the rapids within the chasm. It's almost peaceful in a Dauntless sort of way.

I eventually take her back to her apartment. As much as I hate to, I know I need to. I hate leaving her with Four. I can tell that Four doesn't quite understand her. Not that I don't exactly either, but I feel like I might have a better understanding. I know Four hates this. He hates the understanding and relationship we have.

My face drops as the door closes. I head back to my apartment. It feels empty now that I've had contact with something so full of life.


	11. Chapter 11

Eleven

Tyler's POV

We trained for three years. Going from punches, kicks, other moves and strengthening to even full-fledged sparring. Eric didn't start out going full force on me because he probably would've killed me if he'd done that. Now, I can win a fight with anyone in my age group, even the guys. Many of my peers glare at me because of it, but whatever. If they want to win they need to fight harder.

I'm ten now. I have been training with Eric for three years. I tend to spend more time with him than I do with my parents. After I finish my homework after school, which doesn't take long, we go straight to training, and in the summers we train extra hard. Even on the weekends I tend to go and try to find him. We'll walk around the compound or race or just go find something to do. There are days when he's at a meeting or in another factions or is just busy with something. I really don't like those days. I'm typically bored.

During initiation we can't do a ton either. He's busy training initiates. Every once in a while I gather up the nerve to go in there to try to train with the initiates or watch. I don't do it a lot. Once a week maybe. They don't really seem to care. My dad doesn't like it, but he doesn't say anything. Max came in one time and saw me in there and just laughed. Mom thinks it's funny as well. As long as I'm not causing a problem, I'm fine.

This week, mom and dad are both gonna be in different factions. Mom is gonna be at some meeting in Erudite and dad is overseeing something with the factionless. They're trying to figure out exactly what to do with my siblings and I. My sister, Samantha, who we call Sam, is going to a friend's house, so are my two brothers, Drew and Trey. I don't have that many friends, so that's out. Mom also knows I don't like going to stay with Chris or Marlene. Mom is reasonable and doesn't want me to be miserable for a week. My parents have been discussing what to do for over an hour.

"What about Lynn?" dad suggests.

"Do you really think that's a good idea?" Mom replies with what I call a "not happening" tone.

"No…" dad starts. "What else are we supposed to do?"

Mom has an idea on the tip of her tongue, but she won't say it. I can see she wants to, but at the same time she doesn't. Dad can see it to.

"I know you have an idea, Tris. Spit it out," dad says plainly.

"What if…" mom starts but her voice trails off.

"What if what?"

Mom gathers herself before she speaks.

"What if she stayed with Eric?"

Dad's eyes go wide.

"And you think that's a better idea than sending her with Lynn? At least Lynn wouldn't try to kill her in her sleep!" Dad is getting upset now.

"Now Toby," mom begins. She's getting desperate. "Eric won't hurt her, and you know it. Do you have a better option?"

Dad just looks at mom for a second. I can see his anger growing. He doesn't like this idea at all, but I can tell he doesn't have a better one.

"No," dad says, giving in.

"Then ask Eric if she can stay with him this week. I have a feeling he's not going to turn you down there. There we go. Problem solved."

Eric's POV

I'm barely awake when I hear a knock at my door. I walk over and open it to reveal Four. He has a look as if he could kill someone.

"Four, what on earth are you doing here?" I ask very confused.

"I need… a favor," he says between clenched teeth.

 _A favor? Oh this is killing his pride._

"And what exactly would that favor be?" I say very smugly.

"Tyler. Tris and I are not going to be in Dauntless for the next week. She has nowhere to stay, and there's no way we are leaving her at home by herself. She's ten. Is there any way…" I can tell he's having to swallow his pride. "Is there any way she could stay here this week?"

Oh this is great. First, Four is having to swallow his pride and will owe me a favor. Second, this is a favor I can definitely do. I love this kid. This day just got much better.

"Sure," I say nonchalantly as if it's no big deal.

"Thanks," Four says as nicely as he can at the moment.

"No problem," I respond as I feel a smirk moving across my face.


	12. Chapter 12

Twelve

Tris's POV

I drop Tyler off at Eric's early the next morning. She sets her stuff down in the room that Eric pointed her to. I hate leaving her for a week, but I can tell she's excited. Plus, I have to see what's going on in Erudite. There's been buzz in the faction since my initiation. Eric, Four and I have been working to figure out what's going on. We know Max is involved somehow, but we're not sure how. Whatever it is, Jeanine is in charge. Eric and I have been talking about what could possibly be going on while Tyler is exploring his apartment.

"I'm not sure what it is, Tris, but whatever it is, it can't be good," Eric states worriedly.

"I'm going to be in Erudite for the next week. I'll report what I find out."

We spot Tyler in the kitchen. She appears to be after a cup from the top shelf, but is too short to reach it. Eric smiles and does something I don't expect. He walks over and lifts her up so that she can reach the cup. She laughs as he picks her up. She grabs the cup, he puts her down and she smile and says, "Thanks."

I can't help it. I smile too. I know that my husband despises this relationship. He has hated Eric since their initiation. While their relationship has been better, they still resent one another. While I don't like Eric myself, I think that his company has been beneficial for Ty. That's all I care about right now.

As I start to slip out the door, I feel like I should be worried leaving her with Eric, but somehow I'm not. I turn back to tell Tyler goodbye. She and Eric wave and give me a thumbs up. I've never seen Eric have a bigger smile. I think she's been as good for him as he's been for her. I turn back around and walk out the door.

Eric's POV

This'll definitely be new for me, but we'll see how this goes. I've taken care of her during training, but this a little bit different. Luckily, I have today off, so we'll both be able to adjust to this.

"Have you… uh… had breakfast or anything?" I ask. I'm not sure what to do here, but I can get the kid breakfast. I'm somewhat handy in the kitchen. I've learned the more stuff I can cook, the less I go into mess hall and the less I interact with people. It works.

"Yeah. Mom had me eat something before we came here," she replied to me.

 _Ok, so I don't have to worry about that. What exactly am I supposed to be doing?_

"I don't have to work today if you want to train before lunch."

Her face lights up like a light bulb.

"I'm gonna take that as a yes," I say laughing.

We head to the training room. We decide we are going to spar today. By the end of round one we are both laying on the ground exhausted. There was no clear winner. Second round I won. Didn't take too long. We go about three more rounds taking breaks in between. By the end, we are covered in bruises, bleeding and all together tired and in pain.

"How 'bout we call it a day, kid?" I say out of breath. Poor thing just nods her head slowly and gently. I'm not even sure she can move. She's struggling to get up. I just carry her back to the apartment. She wraps her arms around me and lays her head on my chest.

We get showers and then just sit on the couch because our sore bodies won't allow us to do anything else. It's 8:30 at night and we're both already ready for bed. I can see how heavy her eyes are. She's trying her hardest not to fall asleep. I pull a pillow onto my lap and let her lay her head down. Soon, she is asleep. I watch her. She is so peaceful. She seems so fragile but yet is so strong. In that moment, my only job, I have decided, is to protect her.


	13. Chapter 13

Thirteen

Tyler's POV

I am awakened the next morning by Eric who is shaking me as gently as he can. I don't even know exactly how I got to bed last night. I'm so sore. School is gonna be interesting today. Getting on and off the train is going to hurt.

We eat breakfast in mess hall and Eric walks me out to where the train will come. We go to school in Erudite because, well, Dauntless doesn't exactly have teachers. Once we reach the train station, I expect Eric to leave, but he doesn't. He waits with me for the train to come.

Eric's POV

The train should be here any minute. I should've left when I brought her here, Tris says they just drop her off, but for some reason, I don't want Tyler out of arm's reach. I'm scared something will take her from her family… take her from me. I'm so paranoid about his kid.

The train comes, she jumps on and they're headed for Erudite. She'll get to see Tris for a little bit. I stand on the platform until the train is completely out of sight.

The rest of the week follows this same pattern. It becomes routine. As normal as it is, every moment in itself is different. Tyler is definitely unpredictable. She comes up with something crazy to do every day. I don't really want our week to come to an end, but today is Saturday, and Four is coming to get her in a few minutes. I don't think I've ever had a week like this, even before I transferred from Erudite.

Before long, there's a knock at the door that I sadly know to be Four. He comes in and doesn't take long to gather all of her stuff. He begins to take her out the door, but before he can, she runs to me and wraps her arms around my waist. She stays there a few moments before I can comprehend what's going on or what to do. Eventually, I wrap my arms around her. This has never happened before. Not just someone hugging me like this, but just someone genuinely caring since… well I'm not sure how long it's been.

She eventually releases me and walks back over to Four. He seems to be in shock. It's like he doesn't know what to think about this. All he does is quickly rush her out of the door.

I would end up getting lucky later. Turns out Four and Tris would have many weeks where they would both have to be in different factions. Every time they were, Tyler stayed with me. Eventually, if they weren't going to be in Dauntless, she just showed up at my door with a bag, and I gladly let her in… every time.


	14. Chapter 14

Fourteen

Six years later…

Tyler's POV

Test day. Today we will take the aptitude test to determine what faction we should choose on choosing day. Every sixteen year old from every faction, Dauntless, Erudite, Abnegation, Candor, Amity and even the factionless, will take the test. It's a simulation or sim.

I've been listening to Jeanine Matthews explain the importance of the test and to "trust the test." Blah blah blah. I'm tuning her out. Dad explained this to me, and I'm not exactly a fan of her. I'm not a fan of people in general, but she might as well be on my hit list.

Soon, she is done talking.

 _Hallelujah._

She was getting annoying. She leads us back to a hallway with a line of doors on the wall. I stand in front of one until I'm told to enter. When I walk in, I'm greeted by an older woman in gray. Abnegation. She has a kind smile and soft eyes. I know this woman as my grandmother.

"My name is Natalie Prior," she explains before she looks up from the computer. She seems to be having trouble with it. She looks up. "Oh my goodness! Tyler!"

"Hello grandma," I greet her kindly. I don't like many people, but I can't help but love my grandma. She is so humble and kind yet strong willed and tough all at the same time.

"I can't believe I'm administering your test!" A smile was emerged on her face. She is practically glowing with excitement.

I sit down in the chair that's in the center of the room as she pulls out a cup filled with blue liquid.

"This will put you into a sim. You will be offered a series of choices. Your response will determine your test result and faction." She hands me the cup. I drink the liquid and quickly lay back and am put into the sim.

I open my eyes to see lots of mirrors. My curiosity gets the best of me, and I go look into one. All of my reflections follow me, except one. She offers me a choice between meat or a knife. I'm not one to play by the rules, so I grab both. Soon a huge dog appears growling at me.

"Please, boy. C'mon. I don't really want to hurt you," I say calmly. I fall to my knees, drop the meat in front of me, close my eyes and hold my hand out in front of me. I open my eyes I see what appears to be a sweet little dog with his nose on my hand. I gently stroke his head.

"Puppy!" I hear an excited voice in the distance. It's me from the past staring at this dog. I don't love people, but dogs are so sweet. I've always loved them. I turn back to see that the dog has turned back rabid. It snarls and growls at my younger version before charging her. Before I can even think, I am chasing after it and launch myself on top of it.

I wake up in the chair in the test room. My grandma is looking at me with concern. She looks form the computer to me and back to the computer. "Darn your father," I hear her whisper.

"What?" I ask.

She says nothing. It's like she doesn't know how to say it. I have a bad feeling in my gut. I think I know what this is. I've heard of it before, but it can't be. They aren't real, are they?

"Inconclusive. Your test results are inconclusive."

 _Divergent. I heard of them before. The test doesn't work on them. They don't fit into just one faction._

"What were my results?"

"Dauntless, Erudite and Amity."

 _Great. So what do I do at the ceremony tomorrow?_

"Get up," my grandma orders in a panicked voice. "Go out the back door. I've sent someone to get you. I entered your results as Dauntless. People will be less likely to question your result if it's from the faction of your origin. If anyone asked, you were sick. Trust me, this isn't my first encounter with divergence."

I do as she says. I go out the door. I continue walking until I'm outside. It never occurred to me to ask who was coming to get me or where to meet them. But, it becomes obvious when I see Eric walking towards me with a worried look on his face. He embraces me and then puts his hand on the middle of my back and begins to lead me to the train.

As we walks he leans to my ear and just whispers, "Don't worry. Everything's gonna be fine. It's gonna be ok."

 _Is he trying to convince me or himself?_


	15. Chapter 15

Fifteen

Eric's POV

 _Divergent. Just like me._

Somehow I was ready for this, but you don't really know how to handle it when it hits you. Dauntless leadership has been hunting divergents for years. They are relentless. She just became a target. I won't let them find her. I won't. I won't let her end up like Amar.

I'm guiding her to the train with my hand on her back. I don't want her out of arm's reach, especially now. She's my responsibility.

We reach the train and jump on. We sit in silence for a few minutes. I look over at her, and I can tell she's scared. She's playing with her fingers. Her breathing is becoming quicker and shallower. She is aware of what Dauntless does when they find divergents. She knows they would kill her. She's trying to act like everything's fine.

"Tyler…" I start. I'm not exactly sure what to say. She looks at me. Has eyes are glassy. She's trying not to cry. She's scared. "It's ok to be scared." This is something I never thought I'd say.

"Dauntless are suppose to be fearless. We aren't supposed to be scared," she responds. Her voice is shaking.

"It's not about not being scared. It's about overcoming your fears. Sometimes… admitting you're scared takes more courage than pretending to be fine."

 _Who am I, and what happened to Eric Coulter?_

"Come here, kid," I say as I extend my arm to her. She comes to me, and I pull her towards into my chest and wrap my arms around her. Right here, she's safe. She leans in closer, and I feel a tear drop onto my shirt. I stroke her hair and start to calm her. These next weeks will be a struggle. I know Ty. She'll choose Dauntless. I'll be her instructor. I'll be her protector.


	16. Chapter 16

Sixteen

Tyler's POV

Choosing day is here. We are going to choose which faction we become members of today. Even with my divergence my decision is easy. I'm staying in Dauntless. This is my home.

We jump off the train, enter the Hub and take our seats. Marcus Eaton, the leader of Abnegation and my grandfather, starts his annual speech. I've never trusted him. Dad told me a long time ago what Marcus did to him. He was cruel and abusive. As far as I'm concerned, he's not my family. I've heard his speech 1000+ times so I kinda tune him out. Eventually, names start to get called.

Marcus starts to read through the names and stops when he reaches one he seems to recognize. He scans the crowd of Dauntless before reading the name.

"Tyler Eaton."

Four's POV

Tyler's name is called, and she walks up to the bowls on the stage. She picks up the knife and cuts into her hand. I am so happy I'm in a position where I can see her face. She looks Marcus dead in the eye with a smug look on her face as she puts her hand over the Dauntless bowl and allows her blood to drop. Marcus doesn't say anything for a second, and she jerks her eyebrows up and down as if to say, "Come at me. I'm not scared of you." I'm not sure I've had a prouder moment.

"Dauntless," Marcus announces as he turns his head away from Tyler and to the crowd. I'm smiling from ear to ear.

"Get him, girl," I whisper to myself. I look to my left to see Tris laughing. She must've heard me.

She walks back to the erupting Dauntless section. She has received a standing ovation from every Dauntless member here. Many are patting her on the back. Many are still screaming and cheering. Many just have pride strung across their faces.

Tyler's POV

All the Dauntless are screaming and cheering. I look up. While I'm proud that the Dauntless are cheering, I only really want approval from one person… and no, it's not my parents. I scan the crowd and have the revelation that's he's not here. He's waiting for us at the Dauntless compound.

Soon, the ceremony is over and running towards the train. It comes, and we jump on. The poor transfers look rattled.

"Hey," someone says to me. I turn to see that I'm being greeted by an Amity transfer. He seems nice, but nice doesn't cut it in Dauntless. Somehow, I'm hoping he makes it, but I'm not sure.

"Sup," I greet him not showing much emotion. I don't know so this guy, therefore I don't trust him. I don't trust much of anyone. There are very few people that I can say I even somewhat trust.

"My name's Miles," he tells me extending his hand.

"Tyler," I reply shaking his hand uncertainty.

"Nice to meet you!"

 _Is there a reason this guy left Amity? He seems like he'd fit right in there, not exactly a Dauntless personality._

"Uh huh…" This dude's bubbly personality feels weird. He smirks at me, but doesn't say much else the rest of the ride.

"Get ready," a Dauntless lady, who I actually don't know, says.

 _About to jump. Finally._

Before long, my feet leave the train and connect with the roof of the Dauntless compound.


	17. Chapter 17

Seventeen

Eric's POV

I watch as the initiates jump into the roof. I haven't seen Tyler yet. I know she would choose Dauntless, but I'm still nervous.

Finally, all of the initiates are on the roof, except for the one that didn't make it. I can't see them, but I heard a group of them scream and look off of the roof. I can assume that one didn't make it.

"Listen up!" I yell. Every initiate looks at me. One or two look like they're about to wet themselves. "I'm Eric. I'm one of your leaders. If you want to enter Dauntless this is the way in, and if you don't have the guts to jump, then you don't belong in Dauntless."

All the initiates look at me like I'm crazy. Their eyes are wide with fear.

"What do you expect us to jump to our deaths or something?" ask a Candor boy.

 _There's a reason you weren't Erudite. C'mon stupid, you really think we're gonna kill you right off the bat?_

I smirk and just shrug my shoulders.

"Who knows?" I love torturing the transfers. Some of the Dauntless born know about this, but not very many. The ones who don't look like they could faint, but are trying to hide it. "Who's first?"

I have barely got the words out when the transfers start parting. They're making a way for someone. I can't see them yet.

 _Brave kid._

I'm not surprised by the face I see coming towards me.

 _That's my girl._

Tyler is walking towards me. I offer my hand and pull her up to the wall that I'm standing on. She smiles at me, and the last thing I see before she jumps off is her sweet blue eyes staring into mine.


	18. Chapter 18

Eighteen

Tyler's POV

I laugh all the way down. I hit the net and bounce. The net is pulled down, and my dad is smiling at me. How he got back here so quickly, I don't know. I guess they did slow the train down so that the transfers could actually get on without dying. Dad has his ways.

"I would assume you're keeping your name?" he asks me smiling.

"Oh yeah."

"First jumper…" He looks back at me before he announces, "Tyler!"

Miles is actually the next jumper. He's different, but I'm warming up to him. He doesn't seem too bad.

"Well look who it is," I say as he turns around quickly to face me. He looks slightly scared. "Miles, the second jumper. That's what I'm talking about." Now I'm giving him a proud smile. His face relaxes. "Ya know, you don't have to be scared of me… well unless you're fighting me. Even if I fight you, I promise I won't hurt you… too badly."

"You're not exactly making me feel better."

Jumpers continue to come until the last initiate is standing inside Dauntless. Eric is the last one to jump after the initiates.

"Transfers will stay here with Lauren. Dauntless born will come with me," Eric says.

Poor Miles looks scared. He doesn't know what to think. This place isn't exactly Amity.

"You'll be fine," I tell him as Dauntless born begins to follow Eric. He takes us to the dorms where we'll be staying. They suck. They really do, but whatever. I guess we'll just deal with it.

Soon, the rest of the initiates come in and start picking bunks. Miles is beside me. I appear to be the only person he knows. I know all the Dauntless born, but they aren't exactly my friends, so I guess I'm in a similar boat.

The transfers change into Dauntless clothes, and we head to mess hall to eat lunch.

 _Finally. I'm starving._

Mess hall feels kinda weird. I typically eat at the leaders' table with Eric, but since I'm an initiate, I can't exactly do that. I sit with Miles. We don't talk much. We mostly just eat. A few transfers talk to me, but our conversations are short. The only person I think I'm going to end up really liking is Miles. He's laid back even though he's scared to death. He shows potential. I hope he makes it through.

Soon the whole hall is standing and banging cups on the table and cheering. Max has entered the room. Everyone sits back down shortly after.

"Initiates stand," Max says and he looks down on the crowded mess hall. All initiates stand. "You have chosen to join the faction of soldiers and warriors. You will protect this city and its inhabitants. Make us proud."

The whole crowd erupts with shouting and cheering. We are soon raised into the air and begin to crowd surf. When I am out down, I am right in front of Eric. He smiles at me.

"Heard about the choosing ceremony. Way to go, kid."

From anyone else, I would've glared, but coming from him, at least I know it's authentic.

"Well, he deserved it," I say with a laugh.

"Oh yeah," he responds. "That dude is messed up."

I look around and notice Miles is staring.

 _Dang it. Miles doesn't know. None of the initiates will understand. No one can know._

Eric can see Miles too. His face becomes hard again. I walk away back to Miles. He looks at me strangely.

"What's going on? Do you know the crazy guy?" He asks.

 _He's not crazy!_

"It's complicated," I tell him.

"Complicated?" He asks. He's not being smart with me at least. I can tell he's legitimately confused.

"I'm not explaining it. Nothing against you, but I'm not."

He looks hurt but not very. He's understands.

 _Oh yeah. This guy and I are going to be friends._

"Alright," is all he says.

We head back to the dorms after dinner. Training starts tomorrow. Many of the transfers are actually crying. Not completely sobbing, but loud enough to be heard. Miles is wide eyed in the bunk beside me.

"You're gonna be fine," I tell him. "Lauren will take care of you. I have a few connections I can use if I have to. Don't worry."

"I want to prove myself. I don't want to move up in the ranks just because you have connections," he responds.

 _He wants to earn it. I will say he's definitely earned my respect._

"That's not what I meant. There are people that will be willing to help you outside of initiation training. Put in the time and earn it for yourself."

He smiles. I can tell he's in. Eric wouldn't be the best option to train him. He trained me just fine, but Miles and I are different. Plus, I think Miles is already scared of Eric. After thinking for a minute, I decide that my dad is probably the best option to help Miles. He is training Dauntless born but would be willing to help a transfer. I mean, he himself was a transfer.


	19. Chapter 19

Nineteen

I wake up to the sound of a pipe being banged against my bed. I open my eyes to see the culprit of the noise is Eric. I knew I shouldn't have chosen the bed on the end. He smirks at me.

"I hate you," I mouth to him.

"I know ya do," he mouths back with an annoying smile. I stick my tongue out just far enough for him to see. His smile just gets wider… and more annoying.

"Everyone in the pit. Ten minutes. Get moving," he says to the initiates who are all not even half awake. He leaves the room for us to get ready. I get ready quickly, run to the mess hall and grab something to eat. As soon as I have eaten, I run into the pit. I'm the first one there, which makes sense considering I'm three minutes early.

"Morning Ty," says a familiar voice from behind me. I turn around to face Eric. "Enjoy my wake up call?"

"Haha. No. Thanks for that, jerk," I respond in a snappy yet rather playful tone.

"Aww. I thought my face would be the first thing you'd want to see in the morning."

"Uh huh. Absolutely," I say sarcastically.

The rest of the initiates enter the room. Dauntless born enter first. They are followed by the lost and tired looking transfers.

Eric, Lauren and my dad explain rankings, cuts, etc. Some of the transfers look scared, but the Dauntless born, who have heard this speech many times, don't seem to care.

Soon, we split up between Dauntless born and transfer. We head to the training room where my dad explains that while most of us know how to fight, not all of us know what we should. We train using different moves on punching bags first. Eric says he doesn't want anyone dead on the first day.

We do this until lunch. After lunch, we head up to the roof to work on shooting guns. Even though the initiates grew up in Dauntless, their aim isn't great. They're hitting the targets, but not where they are supposed to be hitting. I shoot and hit the bullseye every time. We eventually are told the training is over for today. Eric says based on what he saw today, we will need to work on shooting tomorrow.

It's about 4:00 in the afternoon when we finish training. We have the rest of the day to do what we want. I decide to go down to the rocks by the chasm. I lay there for a while. I'm hidden from view of anyone who walks down here. While many people know about the rock by the chasm, not everyone knows about this hiding place. Eric showed me this place a long time ago. He said he hid down here all the time to avoid people.

I hear footsteps approaching. I recognize the voices speaking. It's mom and dad. They're arguing about something.

"He has every right!" Mom screams at dad.

"I'm her father! You're her mother! It's our job to protect her!" Dad yells back.

 _Oh no. They're arguing about me again._

Mom takes a deep breath before she speaks. What she says confuses me and shakes my whole world.

"No, Four. No we're not. And you know that."


	20. Chapter 20

Twenty

Tris's POV

It's been several weeks since my argument with Tobias. I'm just not sure what to do. She needs to know. She is going to be a Dauntless member. She can't live a lie her whole life. She doesn't even know she's living one.

Eric says she's excelling in training. She's at the top. But he says Tyler is different. In her fights it's like she fueled by something new. She seems angry… all the time. I don't know what's up with her.

 _She couldn't have heard what Four and I said. Could she? There was no one there. There couldn't have been. Could there?_

Eric's POV

I don't know what's wrong with Tyler. She's not acting like herself at all. Today is the initiates' day off. War games are tonight.

I have been attempting to find Ty for two hours. She is nowhere to be found.

 _Wait. Nowhere is somewhere._

I find her in my hiding place on the rocks by the chasm.

"Is this why I can't find you anymore?" I ask.

She turns around to face me. Her face is tear stained.

 _What happened?_

"What's wrong?"

"Go away, Eric," she says as she turns her head away.

 _Whoa. Where is this coming from?_

Her voice is shaking. She tries not to show her emotions. She doesn't want me to see.

 _C'mon kid. We've been through this before. You don't have to hide._

"Please just tell me what's wrong," I say as gently as I can.

She turns her head back towards me. She stares at me for a second, and then turns away and hangs her head. She's not going to talk to me, but I'm not leaving. I sit on the rocks beside her and take her in my arms. I can't do anything else but be here, so that's what I'll do.


	21. Chapter 21

Twenty One

All of the initiates have jumped on the train and are ready for war games. I have planned my options for my team. I explain the game and show them our chosen weapon. Like every year, one of the Candor transfer has to make a comment about the gun, and like every year, I get joy from shooting them in the thigh. He falls to the ground in pain. No one else chooses to make anymore comments about the gun.

"Two teams. Four and I are captains," I explain to the initiates.

"You choose first," he says to me. I smile.

"Tyler." Four looks mad now.

 _That that's what you get for letting me choose first. You knew what I was going to do._

After teams are chosen, we jump off the train and part ways. I refuse to lose this year. I'm on a five year losing streak to Four. This year will be my redemption.

We try to start making a plan, but they initiates just end up arguing. I see Ty has walked away and is headed towards a nearby building. It isn't very tall, but I know she doesn't want to climb the Ferris wheel. Four will be expecting that. We reach the top of the building and look out over the war zone.

"Are you gonna tell me what's been up with you lately?" I ask.

She says nothing for a few minutes. When she finally speaks, it catches me completely off guard.

"Four and Tris aren't my parents."

 _She knows. How?!_

I don't say anything. I don't know what to say.

"How long have you known?" she asks me.

"What makes you think I knew?" I say attempting to defend myself. It's a lie, but I don't know what to do.

"You did. Don't lie to me."

I can't lie to her. I've lied for too long. I hang my head as I speak.

"I… yes… I did."

"You know who my parents are too."

 _You have no idea, kid._

"Don't you?!" Her voice has raised now. She's becoming aggravated.

"Yes," is all I can manage to say.

"Who?"

I look into her blue eyes, and they look back into mine.

"I think you know," I say to her.

Her eyes grow wide. I can see the revelation show itself in her eyes. She just nods her head. She lays her head on my chest.

"Why didn't you tell me?" she asks. I can hear her voice trembling. She's crying.

"It's… a long story."


	22. Chapter 22

Twenty Two

Sixteen and a half years ago…

It has been a long night. I just can't believe it. This can't happen. I had another fling a couple of months ago. I had been trying to contact her, but she refused to talk to me. Now, I know why… a baby. I can't believe it. I just can't. She can't be pregnant. This week can't get any crazier. There's buzz in Erudite. There has been for four years. It's like crazy came with the Stiff. Tris seems to have brought the trouble with her. Then, literally yesterday, I was shot at. This isn't the first time. I've been attack several times since the Stiff's initiation. I'm clearly a target.

I can't handle a kid. There's no way I can do it. I don't want a kid. She doesn't either. We don't want to kill the kid because, well, it deserves a chance. Abortion isn't an option. It never was. I don't know what to do.

I'm headed to the mess hall for breakfast. I'll catch her there. I have to talk to her. I guess she's my responsibility now since this is kind of my fault. I see her walking in. She looks scared, more scared than I've ever seen her.

"Charlie," is all I can manage to say.

She looks at me with hatred and disgust.

"This is your fault," she says.

"I'm sorry, but we can't do anything about it now. We have to address it though."

"Fine," she snaps.

We walk out of the mess hall and back to my apartment. We sit on the couch. I look at her belly. She's barely showing. I look for a few moments at her and… at my child.

"What do we do?" she asks me.

"I don't know, Charlie. I don't know." I look at her. Her eyes are filled with fear. "We're gonna give her her best chance."

"Her?" She looks at me confused.

"Trust me. I've got this gut feeling and you know what? She's gonna be strong. She'll be brave. She will be Dauntless."

 _Why am I saying this? I don't even want this child… or do I?_

Charlie isn't smiling. She has no interest in taking care of a kid. I say something I never thought I'd say in my life…

"If you don't want to take her… I will."

She looks shocked. I'm shocked myself, because every word I just said was true. She's mine. She always will be. This wasn't how I planned my life exactly, but this is how it is. Now, I have decided, my job… is to protect my baby.


	23. Chapter 23

Twenty Three

I watched Charlie over the next few months. She has continued to grow. She still hates me, but less now at least. She laughs at me because I set up a nursery in my bedroom in my apartment. She thinks it's kind of silly to watch me, Eric, the cold, heartless leader, set up a nursery for his baby.

We went to the doctor a few months ago. He just proved what I already knew. I was right. The baby is a girl, and she's doing just fine.

Something hasn't felt right in Dauntless today. It's like there's something in the air. It's still there, lurking like a cat that spies as it looks down from its high place.

I haven't seen Charlie all day. She comes to check in with me at lunch everyday, and today she didn't. I'm worried. I'm really worried. I have been looking for her for thirty minutes when I round a corner I find her. She's on her knees on the ground. I sprint to her.

"What happened?!" I ask in a worried voice.

"These men. They attacked me. If I hadn't fought back…" A tear rolls down her face. "They would've killed me and the baby."

My fists ball up. They attacked them. They attacked my baby. If I find them, I'll kill them. No one hurts my family.

"You're staying within arm's reach from now on. Got it?" I say as calmly as possible. She just nods her head. She's shaking. I pick her up gently and carry her bridal style to my apartment. I treat her wounds and set her up in one of the rooms in my apartment.

I spot something out of place in my apartment. I walk over to find a note lying on my counter.

 **Stay out of the way.**

 **You're making too much noise.**

It isn't signed, but I know this has something to do with the buzz in Erudite. I've been investigating it since initiation four years ago. Clearly I'm getting closer to an answer. I'm not safe, and I know that my baby girl isn't safe.

I put my face in my hands and shake my head. I'm fighting the tear that's attempting to show itself. What am I supposed to do?


	24. Chapter 24

Twenty Four

I get my answer a few weeks later. I knock on Four's door. He and Tris got married right after her initiation. Tris answers the door. One of their sons is hanging on to her leg. He's two. He'll turn three later this year.

"Eric?" She looks very confused as to why I'm here.

"Can I come in?" I ask.

She opens to door wider to let me in. I sit on the couch. Four is in the kitchen. He looks as confused as Tris. I sit down on the couch. Tris and Four sit down beside me.

"Ummm.. Eric, I never expected you to come here… ever," Tris says.

"I need help," I say swallowing my pride.

"Help?" Oh Four is loving this.

 _You don't even understand yet! Jerk!_

"Yes, Four," I state firmly. "I need help."

I take a deep breath before continuing. I explain the situation. Charlie, the baby, the attacks, all of it.

"She's not gonna be safe with me," I say with a tear rolling down my face. I've given up fighting them. I look over to see Tris is crying too.

"What can we do?" Four now seems concerned.

"I need you…" I hate this so much. I don't want to say this. "I need you to take her. I can't keep her. It doesn't matter how much I want to. She's not going to be safe. She has to be hidden."

Tris and four look at each other for a few minutes. They both nod to each other.

"Ok Eric…" Tris says.

"Thank you." This is all I can say. I can't handle this. I walk out of the apartment and back to mine.

When I reach my apartment, I head into my bedroom, which holds her nursery. I sit next to the cradle. I rock it gently back and forth. I can imagine rocking my baby girl to sleep. Singing lullabies to her. Taking her to school. Even going to dances. Having her in arm's reach. Having someone who loves me. But now, I'll never get that… and it's more than I can bear.


	25. Chapter 25

Twenty Five

Today's the day. She's here. I'm holding Miss Tyler Bliss Coulter in my arms. She's smiling at me. She's so tiny.

"Hey baby girl," I say to her. "I'm your daddy. This may be the only time in your life that you know that, but maybe someday you'll understand. I love you."

I never want to let her go. In my arms, she's safe. Soon, I will have to entrust my daughter to Tris and Four. Charlie has disappeared. She probably won't come back. I'm all that Tyler has right now. I will have to treasure this moment while I have it.

"I will never let anyone hurt you. I will protect you no matter what. I love you more than anything in the world."

She looks back at me. Her blue eyes are just like mine. So is her small amount of light brown hair. She so fragile, but yet seems so strong. She is me, but I won't let her become this cold person I have. I have sworn to myself that she won't be cold and hard. I won't let that happen to her heart.

There is a knock at the door. It's Four and Tris. They walk into the room. They look at me for a moment. Tris walks closer and looks at Tyler, who has fallen asleep in my arms. She smiles at her. Her eyes are red and puffy. I can tell she's been crying. Tris hugs me gently.

"Thank you," I whisper to her.

"I'm so sorry," she whispers.

I reluctantly hand Tyler to her. She cradled her in her arms. Ty wakes up and just looks at me. She doesn't cry but rather starts to whimper. I can see what almost looks like betrayal in her eyes. She feels betrayed. It's like she knows what's happening, and she doesn't want me to leave her.

 _Oh, sweet baby, I don't want to leave you either._

I look down at her. I stroke her head gently.

"I know, baby girl. I'm sorry,' I say holding back a tear. My voice has started to become chocked up.

Tris and Four have been cleared to leave. They are about to go out the door when Tris turns to me. Her eyes travel from me to Tyler.

"Goodbye Tyler Bliss. I love you," I say before kissing the top of her head. It kills me to see them leave. When they have left, I slide down the wall, sit on the floor and cry…


	26. Chapter 26

Twenty Six

Tyler's POV

I stare in shock as Eric… my dad… tells me this story. I see a teardrop fall from his eye. I can't help it. I start crying too. He notices this. Eric pulls me into himself and strokes my hair. We've been gone from the group a long time, but right now, the game is the least of our worries.

"I'm sorry, baby girl," he whispers to me. I don't know what to say. My whole world just came crashing down. But somehow… somehow…

"Somehow, I guess I always kinda knew in a way. I had this gut feeling that something wasn't right in my life," I say.

"I guess now you know what was wrong then." He attempts a laugh, but I can tell it isn't real. He's so filled with emotion he doesn't know what to do. This is what he's wanted for sixteen years, and I guess what I've never known I've wanted. I have my family.

Eric's POV

She looks back at me. Her blue eyes finally understand who they belong to. Her blue eyes and light brown hair, they're mine. Her spunk and attitude. Her determination. Her strength. They were the things I gave to her. That love in her eyes though, that's all her own.

We should be scouting for the flag, we've been gone about thirty minutes, but I don't care. This could be my sixth year in my losing streak, but my pride doesn't even care right now. I've longed to hold my baby girl for sixteen years. I've wanted her to know who she was since she started following me 11 years ago. Now, the moment is here. She's mine, and now she knows.

Soon we are headed back to the group. The game continues… and the inevitable happens… we lose. Six years. I'm a little disappointed, but not even that can take this moment away. Our lives just changed forever. She's no longer Tyler Bliss Eaton. For the first time since she was born, she's finally Tyler Bliss Coulter.

Four's POV

I'm not sure what happened during Capture the Flag, but Eric is in a great mood. He's trying to pretend that he's mad about losing, but that's just an act.

 _What's going on with him?_

He's sitting right next to Tyler. They're sitting closer than I care for, and they're… talking. The initiates are all staring at them.

 _What in the world?_

They're not even trying to hide that they're friends. It's like they don't care anymore. Something has happened, and I'm going to find out what.

We get off the train and head into mess hall. Max will announce rankings for stage one in about thirty minutes. Eric and I are required to give input so that rankings can be decided.

Eric and I are walking down the corridor to Max's office when I suddenly turn and push him hard against the wall.

"What are you doing?!" Eric yells. I can see a mix of rage and confusion in his eyes.

"What's going on with you?!" I yell. I can feel anger rising in me. "You've been walking on cloud nine since capture the flag! You and Ty don't seem to care that people know you're friends or whatever you are! Why?!"

He doesn't answer. He just looks at me.

 _Please no. Tell me you didn't. That she doesn't…_

I sigh.

 _Of course._

"She knows. Doesn't she?"

He continues to stare at me. He finally nods.

 _No. Why? How could you do this to me?_

As I think this, I know it's selfish. She's not my daughter, but over sixteen years, she's felt like it. Now, she's not. She knows. She's Eric's daughter.

I release Eric and just walk away. We walk into Max's office and give our input for rankings.

Eric's POV

We sit in the mess hall with the initiates. Miles and Tyler are the only ones sitting near me. Miles is different, but he's alright. He doesn't mind me, and I don't mind him. Plus, he's my daughter's friend… maybe her only friend. She's not a people person… like me. The rest of the initiates are as far away from me as they can get. Some sit near Four. He's no teddy bear, but he's a bit friendlier than me.

Zeke, Shauna and Lauren are here too. They are with their transfer initiates. Most look scared to death. Zeke isn't a comforting soul, but he's trying to make the initiates laugh so they'll relax. I can tell that them being uptight is driving him insane.

Soon Max enters the mess hall. Silence falls over the room.

"Initiates…" he announces. "The top twenty of you will make it to stage two. Stage two will be fear simulation. You will face your worst fears and learn to overcome them. Your final test will be your fear landscape. After the final test, cuts will be made. The top 15 of you will make it into Dauntless. Here are your rankings."

I can't help it. I see the rankings and jump out of my seat. I'm not really concerned about the other rankings. My baby is in first. I know, shouldn't you know the rankings, since you're a leader? Max has the final say in rankings. He oversees the training. I don't know rankings until I see them.

The whole hall is staring at me, especially Four, but I don't care. I can't just flat out hug Tyler, as much as I want to, so I just give her a fist bump. She laughs, but I know she got the message. I see Miles is in 10th. He wasn't the greatest fighter, but he's good enough to survive in Dauntless.

Tyler's POV

 _I'm in first!_

I can see Eric… my dad… man, this is getting confusing, is as excited as I am. Miles is doing well too. He's in 10th. He's looking at my dad and I a little strangely.

"What was the about?" Miles asks looking at Eric.

I look at Eric, and he looks back at me and just nods.

"Miles, I have something to tell you."

We leave the hall, and I explain everything. I wouldn't trust really anyone with this information, but Miles is the exception. Plus, I have to tell… someone. I can't just hold this all in. When I'm finished, he just stares at me with his mouth hanging open.

"Eric… is your dad?" he asks like he can't comprehend it. I nod my head.

"Yep."

"Does anyone else know? Does your dad… ummm I mean Four… does Four know that you know?"

 _Oh darn. I don't even think about that. What do I even say to Four? How am I supposed to approach him? What do I do?_

"Ummm… I doubt it."

"So what are you gonna do about that?"

"Dude… I have no idea."


	27. Chapter 27

Twenty Seven

When I get home, I still don't know what I'm supposed to say to Four. I should, but I don't. I open the door to see him sitting on the couch.

 _Has he been waiting for me?_

"Sit down," he says as he pays the couch next to him.

 _Oh no. What's this about? Does he know…_

I walk over and sit down next to him. He doesn't say anything. He just pulls me next to him. It's like whatever he needs to say, he doesn't want to say. He sighs and finally speaks.

"Eric told you," is all he says.

 _He does know._

"Yes sir," I say quietly.

He looks like he could cry. I've never seen him like this. It's makes me want to cry. He hangs his head.

"I'm sorry," he states solemnly. It's like he's begging for forgiveness. I lean my head into his shoulder.

"I understand…" I say. He looks at me for a second. I can tell he didn't expect that answer. "You were just trying to do what you thought was best."

"But I took so much time away from you and…" He stops. Finally he speaks again, "Your dad."

"But I got this time with you," I tell him as I look into his eyes. Now he is crying. His eyes aren't blue like mine. They are a soft brown. These eyes have watched me since I was little. They've watched me grow up. I've called him dad for sixteen years…

"What do I call you now?" I'm laughing and crying all at the same time as I ask this.

"Tobias..." he says slowly and softly.

This is going to be hard for him. It'll be a little hard for me too, but we'll survive. We always do.


	28. Chapter 28

Twenty Eight

Eric's POV

We decided yesterday that after initiation we would officially announce the truth about Tyler. She wants to go into leadership, and Max wants her in a leadership position. She'll be under more protection, and can now take care of herself.

Fear simulations start today, and we've already been through several initiates. Four and I will handle fear simulations for the Dauntless born and the transfers. Most have typical fears, spiders, heights, etc. There were only a few with fears I didn't expect.

Poor Miles. I didn't realize what had happened to him. He has a PTSD fear. We call fears that are caused by traumatic past experiences PTSD fears. His mother had been killed when he was little… and he had witnessed it. She was beaten brutally by a group of factionless. He tried to save her in the simulation, but the factionless had grabbed him and beaten him to death as well. He woke up in the chair scared out of his mind. It took me a couple of minutes to calm him down. He walked out and ran to Tyler, who embraced him.

Tyler's POV

Miles just left the room where we are waiting for fear sims. He seems rattled. No, it's more than that. He seems terrified. I'll check on him later. Maybe I'll take him to get some Dauntless cake and ice cream. He and I are similar in the fact that Dauntless cake and ice cream seem to help calm us. We've sat out in the rocks by the chasm and eaten that. We just sat there in silence. It was peaceful… in a Dauntless sort of way.

Eric calls my name and I walk into the room that looks similar to the room where I took the aptitude test. He stands there by a computer with a syringe in his hand.

 _Needles. Oh lovely._

I don't hate needles, but I'm not too fond of them either. I sit in the chair and dad looks at me for a second.

"Morning Tyler," he says.

"Hey dad." That rolls off my tongue so easily. I don't even have to force myself to say it. Somehow, it feels natural.

He grins from ear to ear and explains the fear sim. He then injects me, and the world starts to go black.

"Good luck," dad says before I slip into the simulation.

I wake up in my bedroom.

 _Wait no. This isn't my bedroom._

It looks like it, but it's different. I walk out of the room to see Eric sitting on the couch. He's holding something. I walk closer to see it's a baby.

 _Wait, that's me._

He looks into her eyes. He's rocking her back and forth. He kisses her in the top of her head. They both smile.

 _How is this a fear? This is what I didn't know I was dreaming about my whole life._

But then, I understand. The door flies open, and Max stands in the doorway. He is pointing a gun at my dad and me.

"Give her to me," he orders.

"Not happening," my dad refuses.

In the blink of an eye, Max pulls the trigger and my dad falls. His eyes are opened wide. He's dead. Max then turns his gun to the baby and prepares to pull the trigger.

"NO!" I yell at the top of my lungs before running and tackling him. I am able to grab his gun. I shoot him in the forehead, and his body slumps to the ground. I know it isn't real, but it feels very real.

The scene changes. I'm not in the Dauntless compound. I'm in Erudite. Jeanine Matthews stand in front of me. I try to charge her, but something holds me back. I realize I'm tied to a table.

"Divergent," is all Jeanine says. She turns to her computer. I don't know what she's doing, but I know I'm getting out of here. The ropes around my arms are strong.

 _I could probably cut these with a knife._

As I think this, a knife appears in my hand. I cut through the ropes and run out of the lab.

I open the door to reveal the training room in Dauntless.

 _What the heck?_

I see Tris, Four, Miles and my dad. They don't look happy.

 _Wait, they're armed._

All of a sudden they charge me. I do the only thing I can do. I run. I run to the doors of the training room, but they're locked. I look back at the four people running at me. I know if I fight I will lose. I can't fight them all at once. They're too strong. All I do is sit down on the floor leaned against the training room door. I prepare for the worst, but it never comes.

I open my eyes to see I'm in my room. This time, I'm in Tris and Four's apartment. I'm at home. Tris, Four and Eric all stare at me.

 _I don't understand. They aren't charging me. They aren't trying to kill me. What's this about?_

"Leave!" they all yell in unison.

"What?" I say.

 _Why? What? Why would they say this?_

"We don't want you!" Tris yells.

"Why do you think I gave you to Tris and Four? I don't need or want you! You're the worst thing that's happened to me!" Eric yells at me.

 _No. No that's not true. That can't be true. It's just a sim. It's a lie. It's just a sim. It's just a sim…_

"No," I say.

"What?" Eric laughs.

"You're lying. My daddy wants me!" I say.

I wake up in the chair in the fear sim room. Dad is right beside me. He has his hand on my shoulder. I'm crying. I know I am, but I can't help it. He sees this and hugs me. He holds me for several minutes.

"That's not true," he says to me.

"What?" I ask.

"I do want you. Nothing could change that."

I continue to sob. He strokes my hair.

"Shhh.." he says. "It's okay. I'm here… daddy's here. It's gonna be alright."

He brings himself down to my eye level.

"Your time was great. Six minutes. You did great. I'm gonna help you hide your divergence. Don't worry." He says this with certainty. I know he means it, and he believes it. I eventually leave the simulation room and go to find Miles.


	29. Chapter 29

Twenty Nine

I find Miles exactly where I thought I would. He's on the rocks by the chasm eating Dauntless cake. He sees me approaching and smiles. It's a weak smile, but it's a smile. As I sit down, he extends a piece of Dauntless cake to me.

"I got you a piece," he says. I smile warmly at him.

"Thanks," I say back.

We sit in silence for a long time, neither one of us knowing what to say to the other. It's been a long day. Sims are ruthless and cruel, especially fear simulations.

"Are you ok?" I ask. "You seem shaken up when you came out of the simulation room."

"Yeah, well, it made me relive something I never wanted to think about again…"

I look at him confused. I've heard of PTSD fears, but I guess I've never seen one up close.

"I'm from Amity. We're supposed to be a peaceful faction. My mom was one of the leaders, like Joanna. She represented Amity. Well, one day, he was going to a meeting in Candor. She didn't go to many meetings, but this one required a rep from each faction. I went with her because dad was helping to fix something that day so there was no way he could watch me. Erudite cars had come to take us there. We had to go through the factionless section to get there. We were told we would be safe. We weren't. We didn't know what was really going on until it was too late. The Erudite that were driving us there stopped the car. A group of factionless had surrounded the car. They allowed the Erudite men to leave. My mom and I were trapped. They pulled mom out of the car. She told me to run… as fast as I could. I did. I ran until I find a place to hide. They beat my mother to death, and all I could do was watch. I felt so helpless. She had been helping investigate Jeanine. She was working closely with a Dauntless leader. They had been after the leader as well but never got them. My mom wasn't so lucky. She already had to watch her back because she was…" he stopped. I already knew what he was going to say. He lowered his voice a lean closer to me before speaking. "Divergent…" He took another long pause. "...Like me…. and like you I believe."

I nodded my head. He knew. Of course he did. I just hug him gently.

"I'm sorry." I can't think of anything else to say.

Then I have an idea.

"Wanna do something kinda crazy?" I ask. Miles now looks scared. He looks at me uncertainty.

"Let's get tattoos!"

"Okay…" Miles replies unsure of himself.

I drag him down to the tattoo parlor. I've been dreaming of this for a while. I've wanted a tattoo for a long time. Tori laughs when we come into the parlor.

"Sure your dad isn't gonna kill me for this? I mean, he can be…" Tori asks.

 _Wait a minute. Does Tori know?_

When I don't respond she just continues.

"Alright then. Pick out what you want," she says as she points to the books.

When we're done, I have the Dauntless flames on my right shoulder, an arrow on my left wrist and the word "survivor" on my left forearm. I left my right arm free for something special for after initiation. Miles also has survivor on his left forearm. He has a feather on the right side of his neck and the word "forever" across his shoulders. He says that's for his mom. We pay our credits and head back to the dorms.


	30. Chapter 30

Thirty

Eric's POV

Fear simulations have been going on for two weeks. Tyler is getting better. She isn't having to manipulate the simulation anymore. Although, I don't know how exactly we're gonna explain her fears. I guess we'll just have to come clean about who she is. She's my daughter. I don't think anyone is gonna be very surprised. We'll announce it the night after the final test in the pit.

I had to laugh just a little bit when she came into the fear simulation with her tattoos. I actually really liked them. They suited her. She is still rattled when she comes out of the sim. She always embraces me when she wakes up. It seems to make her feel safer. She's calmer, but I can tell the sim still really bothers her. It hard for me to watch it. I love my girl, and I want to protect her, even from her fear sim.

Today is the final test. She nervous. I'm nervous. She'll be fine, but it still worries me. We enter the landscape room, and I assure her that it's going to be fine.

Her name is called for the final test. She sits in the chair in the middle of the room. All eyes are on her. Four injects her. She looks across the room to me.

"Good luck," I mouth to her before her eyes close, and she enters the simulation.

Tyler's POV

I wake up in the bedroom in Eric's apartment. I see Eric and myself as a baby on the couch. Soon, Max enters. I know what to do. Before he sees me, I charge him, take his gun and knock him out. One fear down. Three to go.

Next I'm in Erudite. I work my way out do the ropes quickly. Dad said I absolutely had to stop the simulation before Jeanine said, "Divergent." I see Jeanine. I run over to her and take her out quickly.

 _I may be moving too fast. They might catch me. I need to slow down_.

With the next simulation, that isn't hard. I'm in the training room. I see my dad, Tobias, Tris and Miles prepared to rush me. I start running. I evade them for what seems like a few minutes. Then, I grab a knife still lying on the table. I launch it at Eric's leg.

 _Sorry._

I grab three more and proceed to do the same to Tris, Tobias and Miles. They all now favor their injured leg. This makes them easy to take out. I swipe my leg under each of their legs and hit them hard in the head. When each is unconscious, the scene changes. Last one.

I'm in my bedroom at home. Dad, Tris and Four are all looking at me.

"Leave!" They all say in unison.

"No," I tell them, emotionless.

"We never wanted you," Tris says.

Eric begins to open his mouth, but before he can, I interrupt him.

"Don't even say it," I say with my voice trembling now. "You're lying. I'm wanted. Nothing will change that." And with that, I wake up in the chair in the middle of the fear landscape room.


	31. Chapter 31

Thirty One

Eric's POV

Final testing is over.

 _Hallelujah._ _I can relax now._

Everyone is headed towards the pit where rankings will be announced soon. After that, there's always a huge party in Dauntless. Really, Dauntless just use final rankings as another reason to drink and throw a party.

Tyler has run off somewhere before headed to the pit. Bathroom I think. She's been gone a while though. I head to check on her. I'm sure she's fine, but I still have this bad feeling…

Tyler's POV

I walk out of the bathroom and start walking towards the pit. It's not far from here. The air seems still… too still.

As I walk on the bridge that hangs over the chasm, I hear something. I can't make out what it is. It could be footsteps, but I think I'm just paranoid. I continue to walk.

When I reach the other side, I pair of hands grabs me. I turn to see three huge figures in black. Their faces are covered, so I don't know who they are. They rush me, and I fight back. I'm not winning, but I'm keeping them off me.

 _I can't keep this up forever._

Eventually, one of their fists connects with my jaw, and I fall to the ground. I try to get back up, but it's no use, they're too strong.

 _Why have they not thrown me off the chasm yet?_

They don't throw me off the chasm. The biggest one pulls back his fist and hits me several times. I'm world is fading. It's starting to go black. He's hit me in the face and gut several times. He picks me up and slams me into the stone wall.

 _How has this guy not killed me yet?_

He's about to take another swing when a fist connects with the side of his head. I hear him hit the ground, followed by his two partners. Two big arms lift me gently. I look into the eyes of my rescuer. They're a piercing blue.

"Hey daddy," I say weakly.

"Hey baby girl," he says as he kisses my cheek. "It's alright. I've got you. You're safe now."

He carries me to his apartment and lays me on the couch. He puts ice and some type of healing cream stuff on my wounds. We have thirtyish minutes until rankings are announced, so we'll get there in time.

"What happened?" he finally asks.

I sigh, and then explain what had happened. He looks at me for a few moments. He's scared. I can see it.

"They weren't initiates," I tell him.

"I know," he says. It sounds like he's wishing they had been.

"Why would Dauntless members attack me?"

"Because they know who you are. They want to hurt me. They want to stop me."

 _The Erudite thing. That's what this is about._

He picks me up and carries me to the pit. We see Miles looking around worriedly. He must be looking for us. He spots us, and his eyes go wide.

"What happened?!" he exclaims. I smile and shrug my shoulders.

"Someone tried to kill me," I say nonchalantly as if it's nothing.

"Ok that's not funny. This is not ok," he says seriously.

"I'm fine, Miles. It's ok ," I lie. Really, I'm scared. Scared of what could happen. To me… to my dad.

"I don't believe you're really fine."

"I promise I am."

He is about to protest when Max enters the room. He begins to address the initiates.

"Some of you in this room are future Dauntless members and some of you are about to be factionless."

 _Well that's a lovely way to put that._

"Your rankings will determine who that is. So, here they are," he says as ranking appear on the board.

I'm in first. Miles is now sitting in fourth. We both cheer. We smile at each other. We are officially members of Dauntless.

"Before you exit tonight to go… who knows where… you will receive a tracking device. Don't ask questions. Just a precaution. But, before we get to that, one of our leaders, Eric Coulter has an announcement and presentation to make."

Eric moves and stands up on top of a stage that's in the middle of the pit. I know what he's doing. He's looks nervous and yet overjoyed all at the same time.

"You all know who I am. For years now, someone in this room has been living a lie until recently."

Everyone in the pit looks confused.

"Well, now it's time you know the truth. Ty, would you come here please?"

All eyes turn to me. A path is made from me to the stage. I walk slowly up to the stage where Eric puts a hand on my shoulder.

"You know this girl's name. At least you think you do. I am here to tell you though, that you don't." He looks at me and smiles, and I smile back. "Today, I am proud to reveal to you this girl's name. I introduce to you, Miss Tyler Bliss Coulter… my daughter."

The whole pit gasps. There is complete silence for a few moments. Then, one person begins to clap. I turn to see it's Miles. The rest of the crowd follows suit. I turn to see Max is smiling. I can almost read his mind. He's now thinking that my simulation makes more sense now.

We step off the stage and walk back to Miles. He hugs me and pats my back.

"Thank you," I whisper in his ear.

"Anytime," he whispers back and lets out a small laugh.


	32. Chapter 32

Thirty Two

We are given tracking devices before we leave. I drag Miles back down to the tattoo parlor. I have a special tattoo that I plan to get. We walk in, and Tori just shakes her head and laughs.

"Back for more?" she asks. I nod my head. I walk over to the book containing the tattoo I want. It's my dad's book for tattoos. It's his designs. I point to the one I want, and Tori smiles.

"I should've known," she says. With that, she sits me down in her chair and begins.

It takes about an hour to finish the tattoo. She wraps my right forearm and gives me tattoo ointment. We pay our credits and leave.

We walk out of the tattoo parlor to find my dad. He looks at me and then looks at my arm.

"What exactly are we up to?" He asks curiously.

"See for yourself," I respond as I nod my towards my forearm. He lifts the bandage and gasps. It reveals a maze tattoo. It is the same maze tattoo that is on his right forearm. I see his eyes begin to water. I think he's actually going to cry. He lifts me off the ground and just hugs me. His arms are wrapped around my waist and mine around his neck. My head rests on his shoulders.

"Like father, like daughter," I whisper in his ear.

He says nothing. He just lays his head on my shoulder. He's still crying. I can tell this meant a lot to him.


	33. Chapter 33

Thirty Three

Eric's POV

Most people in Dauntless are still partying after rankings were announced. I took Tyler back to the dorms about ten minutes ago. She went to get a shower and has probably fallen asleep. I don't worry too much about her. Miles is with her. I didn't think I'd like him, but I'm warming up to the kid. He's nice to Ty, and she trusts him. I think I can probably trust him as well.

I am attempting to find Four. I need to tell him about this attack. I need his help. We have to find out what's going in Erudite… now. I round a corner to find Max. He is leaning on a wall. He looks almost like he's been waiting for me.

"Eric, I need to speak with you in my office," he said plainly. He starts to walk towards his office. I follow. When we reach his office, he opens to door and motions me in. He shuts the door and is standing behind me. Suddenly, something hard hits me in the head, and the world goes black.

When I come around, I find myself tied to a chair. I try to get out of the restraints, but it's no use. I scan my surroundings to try to find something that can help me get out of the restraints. I see an Erudite holding a syringe.

 _This can't be good._

He walks over to me, and I evade him until two Dauntless guards hold me down. I struggle against them, but it's no use. He injects me, and my world goes black again.

I wake up in my apartment. The world seems foggy. I look around. Something doesn't feel right. Then, I hear a baby crying.

 _What?_

Now I am extremely confused. I want into my bedroom and see a nursery.

 _Wait, this is Tyler's nursery._

I hear footsteps walking towards the door. I turn to be met with piercing blue eyes… my eyes. This me looks younger. He isn't from now. He walks to the cradle. He leans over and looks into it.

"Hey, baby girl," he says softly. He soon picks up a small object.

 _It's a baby... It's Tyler!_

He cradles her in his arms. He rocks her gently and kisses her forehead. She lets out a small laugh. It's like little bells ringing. It's the most beautiful sound I've ever heard. He smiles at her. I can't see her face, but I know she's smiling at him.

"It's ok," he says. "Daddy's here. Daddy's got you."

Oh, how I want this to be real. I've wanted this for the last sixteen years. But, I know it's my mind playing tricks on me, taunting me. Showing me what I want. I'm dreaming. Oh, how I want this. I want it more than anything.


	34. Chapter 34

Thirty Four

Tyler's POV

I wake up the morning after initiation like any other morning… but this isn't just any other morning. This is different. Most of the other people in the room are getting ready… in unison almost. The lights aren't even on. Miles is still asleep.

"Miles!" I whisper. Nothing. He just lays there. "Miles wake up!"

Still nothing. Finally I throw my shoe at him.

"Ow!" he whispers. "What was that for… what the heck?" he says looking at the others.

"Dude I don't know, but play along and we'll find out."

So we get ready like the rest of the initiates. Soon, we are in the pit. Every Dauntless member is lined up in the pit.

 _This is really weird. They all look like the initiates did._

Each member takes a weapon. I see my dad standing with Max. I'm about to ask him what's going on, but the look in his eyes stops me. His eyes don't look like the eyes that belong to my father. There's nothing there. There's a deep blue ocean of nothing.

I see a man who is asking the Dauntless members what's going on. He catches dad and Max's attention. Max whispers something into dad's ear. Dad walks up to him and says something and… and….

 ***BANG!***

 _No! No way! That's didn't just happen! He didn't just… no…_

He killed the man. I'm trying not to cry now. My father just murdered someone in cold blood. I look at him in fear.

2 and a half weeks… that's how long it took. In 2 and a half weeks my world had been turned upside down. Everything has changed. My past, my present, was any of it true? Who was I now?

We are soon loaded onto the train. I don't know where we're going or what's going on, but I know it's not good. Soon, though, I have my answer.

The train stops, and we step out into Abnegation. I begin to hear gunshots and people screaming. I see Abnegation fall over dead. This is truly a horrific sight.

I see an Abnegation boy who isn't dead, but is wounded. As discreetly as I can, I offer my hand it him. He looks at me in fear. He's crying.

"I'm not gonna hurt you," I whisper to him. "Take my hand, and I can get you out of here."

He's still scared, but he does as I say. I lead him away from the gunshots. I come across Miles in a place with no Dauntless soldiers.

"Are you ok?" he asks.

"I'm fine, but that's not important. You need to get him out of here." I tell him. I turn to the young boy. "What's your name?"

"Matt," he says quietly.

"Well Matt, it's gonna be ok. Miles is gonna keep you safe. He won't let anything happen to you. I promise."

Matt just nods his head at me. I start to head back towards the attack. Miles stops me. He wraps his arm around my back and pulls me in to kiss me. He eventually releases me.

"I'm sorry," he says. "But if there's a chance we're gonna die, then I had to do that." I smile at me.

"How very straight forward and Dauntless of you," I say in a teasing tone. I then smile at him.

"Please come back… alive," he pleads as I head back to the attack.

When I get back to where the soldiers are, I am surprised when a fist connects with the side of my head. I turn to see who it is. I don't have to see their face. I can see the maze tattoo inked on his right forearm.

I look up to meet his cold eyes and to see his gun pointed at my head. His fingers are in position… prepared to pull the trigger…


	35. Chapter 35

Thirty Five

Eric's POV

The only thing I currently know is that I have a mission: overtake Abnegation and kill any nonconformists and divergents. This girl is divergent. I place my finger in the trigger.

 _Why can't I pull it?_

For some reason, I am unable to pull it. It's like an invisible force is holding me back. I've killed many divergents. Why is she different?

Her blue eyes look up at me. She looks scared, but not very. She looks hurt. I see a tear slip down her face. Then she says one word. This one word brings it all back. The last sixteen years. It brings back who I am.

"Daddy."

Suddenly I fall to my knees and throw my gun away from me. I begin to sob. She looks scared of me, but soon, she comes to me and wraps her arms around me. She's crying too. I wrap my arms around her waist, and we hold each other. We sob into each other.

 _I almost shot her. I almost killed her. I almost killed my baby._

"Daddy," she says again.

"I'm sorry, baby. I'm so sorry," I say sobbing.

She pulls back and looks at me. I look into her eyes, into her blue eyes. I see the sweet eyes that looked at me when she was born when she smiled at me. I see the curious eyes that stared at me when I caught her following me. I see the determined eyes that looked back at me during training. I see the loving eyes that looked at me when she discovered who she was. Now, I see the understanding, all consuming blue eyes that look back at a broken man.

"I love you, daddy," she says. That's all she has to say. I hug her again.

"I love you too, Tyler Bliss Coulter," I whisper into her ear."

As much as we both want to stay here, we know we have to stop Jeanine. She's in charge of this attack. I know that now. She wants to overtake Abnegation and use Dauntless to do it.

We follow the soldiers in an attempt to find Jeanine. We hear gunshots and then we hear fire being returned. We run to the source of the sound to find Four and Tris.

"What's happening?" Tris asks me.

"Jeanine. Erudite is trying to overthrow Abnegation. They're using Dauntless to do it." I explain to her. "We need to know where they're controlling the soldiers from."

"Dauntless headquarters," I voice responds behind me.

I turn to see a man and woman dresses in gray. Both are armed. A man in Erudite blue is with them.

"Mom! Dad! Caleb!" I hear Tris exclaim. This is her family.

"Tris," the man I now know as Andrew says. He turns his head to me. "Jeanine is controlling the Dauntless soldiers from Dauntless headquarters."

We can't just go through the front door, so we take the route that the initiates usually take. Andrew and Caleb don't seem thrilled about this, but they're going along with it. Natalie had to be a Dauntless born. She gets on and off the train with ease and actually seems to be enjoying herself.

We reach the roof and Natalie is the first to jump. Tris laughs. Tyler follows, along with Andrew, Tris and Caleb. Four is hating this. I can tell.

"C'mon ya big wimp," I say teasing him. "I'll jump with you."

Finally, Four and I jump. We hit the net, and Tris helps him off, while Ty helps me off. We then sprint towards where Jeanine is controlling the soldiers. We get past the guards in the hallway with ease. When we reach the control center, we come face to face with Max and Lauren and some other higher ranking guards.

 _This'll be fun._

We struggle a little more taking down these guys than we did with the other guards. We have almost won when I hear a scream. I turn to see Max has Tyler and is pointing a gun at her temple.

"I'd suggest you drop your weapons," he says looking at us. I sigh, hang my head and drop my gun. The rest follow suit.

"You had to know she'd be an easy target, Eric. I mean c'mon," he says smirking.

 _He can't. He can't take her. She's my world. She's all I have. I won't let him._

Then the unexpected happens. Tyler swings her leg to take out Max's. She pulls a gun out of her holster, and shoots Max's hand that's holding the gun, which he drops.

"Who are you calling an easy target, jerk?" She snaps at him.

His eyes are wide. He's actually a little scared of her. I can't help but smile.

"That's my girl."

We reach Jeanine soon enough and shut down the attack.

 _It's over. After 20 years, it's over._


	36. Chapter 36

Thirty Six

Epilogue

Tyler's POV

It took a couple of months to put the faction system back together after the attack. Dauntless went to many Abnegation funerals. I will never be able to comprehend how they are so forgiving. They welcomed the Dauntless into their faction for the funerals. Many were pallbearers for funerals.

Trials were held in Candor. Max, Jeanine and everyone else involved with the attack were sentenced to either prison or death. Yes, even my dad was tried. It was really sad to see him in a gray jumpsuit that prisoners being held are forced to wear. It nearly destroyed his pride. I could hardly bear to see him like that, being treated as a common criminal. At least he was cleared of charges. He is now the head leader of Dauntless.

We are even working with the factionless. We have been attempting to make them their own faction, so they can be self-sufficient. This means they would be able to get better jobs than just driving the bus. They could also join another faction and go through initiations. Since cuts no longer exist in factions, they don't have to worry about being kicked out. Most factionless have chosen to stay with the other factionless. They function like a faction. Actually, it's more than that. They function like a faction.

We worked with the factionless today. We protect Abnegation that are helping the them. Some of the factionless rebelled when we tried to integrate them, so we are taking precautions. Today was strange. While we were in the factionless ection, a woman approached me. She had blonde hair, green eyes and fair skin. She was about the same age as dad. She was wearing gray Abnegation pants, a blue Erudite shirt and a black beat up Dauntless jacket. The jacket was way too big for her. It could've honestly fit my dad, and this lady wasn't very big. However, the jacket seemed special to her. I don't know how I new this, but I did.

She walked up to me and just looked at me. It was awkward to be honest. She seemed familiar, but I don't know why. She approached me and got a little too close for comfort. Eventually, my dad came around the corner and saw her. He looked at her in pure shock. She saw him, and her face relaxed. She smiled. Her eyes moved from him to me and back to him. He smiled. I was very confused. Who was this woman?

She pulled me closer to her. She put her head next the my ear and gently moved my hair away. She turned me so that I was facing my dad, and pointed to him.

"He loves you… more than you'll ever know."

This is all she said before she walked away. Dad walked over beside me, and we both watched as she walked away. I asked him who she was. He told me he would explain later.

Turns out that Matt's name was Matthew Eaton. He had been adopted by Trey, the older of Four and Tris's twin sons, soon after he transferred from Dauntless to Abnegation.

After everything was reestablished, initiates chose jobs. Miles is a Dauntless representative. He said he wanted to be like his mom. She didn't want to lead Amity, but she did want to represent her faction and her family.

I now am a leader of Dauntless, right beside my dad. I became second in command. I work with dad everyday. I actually really love it. I also live in the apartment right across from his, so we spend a lot of time together. We always say we're making up for lost time.

Miles and I are a thing now. Dad pretended to hate it when we first told him, but I can tell he was faking it. He actually really loves Miles. Although, he did tell him that if he ever hurt me he would personally rip out his windpipe. Miles told him he expected nothing less.

Everything in my life is nearly perfect. I couldn't ask for anything better. And to think, this started because I was some kid who was too curious. Because I was the kid who got into trouble. Because I was the kid brave enough to follow the blue-eyed man.


End file.
